Elevating Composites: Jesmonite, the GRCA, and the Future of Architectural Materials

With architectural materials, the balance between innovation, durability, aesthetics and standards is delicate. For over four decades, one institution has played a central role in guiding this balance in the realm of glass fibre–reinforced concrete and related composites: the International Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete Association (GRCA).

Now, with Jesmonite stepping deeper into that ecosystem and Edd Wilson serving on the GRCA Council, the union of our technologies, values and vision is poised to help shape what comes next.

The Genesis and Evolution of the GRCA

Origins and Purpose

In October 1975, the GRCA was founded to bring cohesion and clarity to a then-nascent industry: the use of glass fibre–reinforced concrete (GRC, often called GFRC). At the time, GRC promised compelling advantages — lighter weight, flexibility in forms and better crack control — but lacked common standards and reliable quality control.

From the outset, the GRCA’s mission was to:

1. Bring stakeholders together — manufacturers, designers, consultants, material suppliers.

2. Define best practices — i.e. how to mix, cure, test and install GRC.

3. Raise confidence in GRC by providing reference documentation, certification, and peer review.

Over time, the GRCA’s influence grew, and though materials, techniques and engineering demand have evolved, its core functions have remained vital.

How the GRCA Operates Today

The GRCA is far more than a standards body. It serves as an active node of exchange, advocacy and continuous improvement. Some of its key functions include:

• Publication of technical guidance. The GRCA’s “Specification for the Manufacture, Curing & Testing of GRC” standardises material definitions, minimum test regimes, curing protocols, dimensional tolerances, permissible admixtures and more.

• Membership & assessment. Entities can join via Member status (for suppliers, consultants, or affiliated firms) or Full Member status (for manufacturers of GRC who submit to independent audits). Membership requires adherence to documented processes, ongoing testing and periodic reassessment.

• Case studies & project sharing. The GRCA publishes detailed real-world case studies showing how GRC has been used in façades, cladding, architectural features — with performance metrics, lessons learned, and detailing notes.

• Events, congresses & networking. The association arranges conferences and forums where thought leaders, engineers and designers convene to discuss innovations, challenges, and emerging materials.

• Leadership & governance. The GRCA Council (made up of representatives from industry) helps steer its roadmap: topics such as sustainability, novel composite systems, durability modelling, and advanced testing protocols are on its agenda.

By combining standardisation, oversight, dissemination and governance, the GRCA helps ensure that GRC remains a trusted, high-performance option in a demanding architectural environment.

The Value of GRCA for Industry Players

Why does an organisation like the GRCA matter so much? The benefits cascade across the value chain — from specifier to manufacturer to installer and client.

For Architects, Engineers & Specifiers

• Clear, technically robust specs. Rather than inventing methods internally, specifiers can adopt GRCA’s clauses for mix design, fiber content, curing cycles and tolerances — ensuring consistency across projects.

• Access to trusted manufacturers. The GRCA directory of members (and full members) helps specifiers source suppliers who meet audited standards, reducing risk in procurement.

• Design confidence. Because GRCA-compliant materials are tested and documented, the performance in crack control, flexural strength, fatigue, durability and weathering becomes more predictable.

• Case-study insight. Real project data helps guide assumptions, test down risks, and reduce surprises during execution.

For Manufacturers & Composite Suppliers

• Third-party validation of quality. Being a Full Member is not just marketing; it signifies you are subject to independent review. That helps with tenders, client trust, and differentiation.

• Shared R&D. Access to GRCA’s network enables benchmarking, collaborative testing, materials exchange and knowledge of emerging methods.

• Reduced design friction. When clients insist on GRCA compliance, manufacturers who already meet those standards avoid endless revision cycles.

• Continuous improvement feedback loop. The GRCA community can raise topics, highlight new challenges (e.g. climate exposure, UV degradation, advanced admixtures) and channel them into improved guidance.

For Contractors & Installers

• Lower surprises on site. With precise tolerances and documented QA regimes, installation tolerances, anchoring strategies and finishing sequences become more certain.

• Reduced failure risk. Industry-aligned standards reduce mismatches of expectations and minimize cracks, delamination or weathering issues down the line.

• Better coordination. Because every actor is using the same technical playbook, misunderstanding and rework tend to decline.

For Clients, Developers & Owners

• Long-term assurance. GRCA compliance implies lifespan performance backed by a technical body and audit trail.

• Risk mitigation. Reputational, structural and maintenance risks are lowered.

• Value for money. While high quality often costs more upfront, the lifecycle cost and reduced downtime or remediation often make it a better investment.

Jesmonite & the GRCA: Why We Join, Why It Matters

Jesmonite has long been recognised as a leading composite material system — combining mineral content, acrylic-modified resin, and design flexibility to produce architectural panels, mouldings and façade elements. Our approach emphasizes versatility, lower VOCs, and ease of finishing.

Our Role in the GRCA Ecosystem

Jesmonite holds Member status within the GRCA — meaning we engage with its networks, contribute insight, and align our documentation with GRCA standards. While we are not (as of now) a full GRC manufacturer audited under the “Full Member / Approved Manufacturer” scheme, we actively intersect in façade design, architectural composites, consulting and materials development. The membership enables us to:

• Engage in technical dialogue and push composite boundaries.

• Align our internal QA and testing protocols with GRCA benchmarks.

• Support clients who want consistency with GRCA specifications.

• Influence the conversation on sustainable materials and composite innovations.

  
  

Leadership via Edd Wilson, Divisional Director – Projects & Facades

Edd Wilson, as Divisional Director at Jesmonite, serves on the GRCA Council. This is a powerful position: he has the ability to guide the association’s direction, inject Jesmonite’s perspective into working groups, and help set priorities for research, standards and member collaboration.

His presence ensures that Jesmonite doesn’t just observe the future of GRC — we help steer it. Through Edd’s involvement, Jesmonite helps:

• Advocate for composite diversity (not just fibre cement or glass-fibre products).

• Promote sustainable practices, lifecycle assessment, and lower-emission materials.

• Encourage advanced testing techniques (e.g. fatigue, cycle exposure, thermal cycling) to strengthen trust.

• Bridge the design / manufacturing / installation communities with real-world insights from façades, prototypes and project constraints.

Technical Interplay: Jesmonite vs GRC — Compatibility & Dialogue

With Jesmonite’s systems and GRC often considered alternatives (or complementary), GRCA membership offers an ideal bridge to explore interoperability, hybrid solutions and performance benchmarking.

• Comparing mechanical properties. While GRC often features glass fibre reinforcements in a Portland- or cementitious-based matrix, Jesmonite’s acrylic-modified, mineral-based composites offer competitive strength, crack control and lower weight. In many façade or cladding use cases, the two can be benchmarked against flexural strength, modulus, abrasion and weathering.

• Shared test protocols. Jesmonite can align key test regimes (e.g. freeze-thaw cycling, salt spray, UV exposure, dimensional stability) with GRCA’s specified methods — improving cross-material comparability.

• Hybrid designs. On complex façades or the interface between different material types, Jesmonite and GRC elements may coexist. Shared standards, anchorage best practices and tolerance philosophy reduce interface mismatch risk.

• Sustainability conversation. Jesmonite’s lower VOC, lower embodied carbon materials can feed into future GRCA guidance or accessory documents that deal with “green GRC / composite hybrids”.

Looking Forward: Challenges, Opportunities & Collaboration

As the built environment demands more from its materials — whether lighter buildings, more daring geometries, lower carbon footprints or longer lifespans — the GRCA’s role will be even more critical. Here’s where Jesmonite intends to be active:

• Pushing sustainable composite frameworks. Life cycle analysis, cradle-to-grave carbon, recycling or reuse strategies — Jesmonite will work through GRCA channels to get these into design discourse.

• Advanced durability studies. As climates shift, materials must cope with wider temperature swings, moisture cycles, UV intensities, pollutants and even biological growth. Jesmonite intends to contribute data and test programs to GRCA’s research agenda.

• Digital design & fabrication integration. As parametric design, 3D formwork and automated manufacture become more common, standardization must evolve to accommodate complex geometries. Jesmonite’s experience in composite moulding and finishing is directly relevant.

• Bridging cross-material dialogues. Beyond just GRC, the GRCA could broaden its remit to include all “fibre-reinforced architectural composites” — glass, carbon, polymer, mineral, hybrid mixes. Jesmonite is well placed to contribute to that expansion.

Strength in Unity

The GRCA is not just a bureaucracy or a standards body. It is the beating heart of the global GRC / architectural composite ecosystem — a place where performance, creativity and quality intersect.

For Jesmonite, membership is a commitment: to quality, to transparent collaboration, to helping push the boundaries of what composite materials can accomplish. And with Edd Wilson in the GRCA Council, Jesmonite is not merely aligned — it is helping steer the future of architectural composites.